The present invention generally relates to apparatuses and methods for styling, grooming and enhancing human hair. It more specifically relates to apparatuses and methods which assist a hair stylist in preparing hair extensions for attachment to a person's head, and to assist the hair stylist in the application process.
It is known to attach hair extensions to a person's existing hair. An extension is a plurality or bundle of individual hairs, each hair usually of a consistent length. Usually each extension is attached to existing hair strands close to the client's head, perhaps about one quarter inch away from the scalp. When applied properly, the extensions blend in naturally with the client's own hair, providing additional length and/or fullness to the client's existing hair style. Typically, the extensions come in lengths of eight, twelve, sixteen, eighteen, twenty and twenty-four inches.
Various methods of attaching the hair extensions are known. One method employs a protein polymer which is affixed at the end of the extension, holding the individual hair strands of the extension together. When the polymer is heated with an application tool, the polymer, and thus the end of the extension, bonds to the strands of the client's own hair. The extensions are applied one at a time, and, because each extension comprises a limited number of individual hair strands, a large number of extensions is usually required in order to provide the desired effect. Therefore the process of applying the extensions is time consuming and usually requires several hours to complete. To expedite the process, the stylist should have ready access to each extension. Unfortunately, this often requires an assistant to hand the stylist each individual extension. As an alternative, the stylist might lay the extensions out flat on a stand or table and reach for them as the need arises. Unfortunately, when presented in this manner, the extensions often become disarrayed or tangled with one another, requiring the stylist to suspend the application process to untangle the extensions.
Moreover, it is often desirable to treat the extensions before applying them to a client. For example, the color or shade of the extension may require alteration or the length of the extension may require adjustment or the extension may have more curl than desired, so a relaxing agent is sprayed on the hair. It is often desirable to treat the extensions in these or other ways before applying the extensions to the client's hair. However, it is to be appreciated that handling the extensions during these processes can be difficult and aggravating.
Finally, it is often desirable for a stylist to be able to display to the client in an organized manner the extensions the stylist proposes to apply to the client's hair.